Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography

July 30, 1947
•
Graz, Austria

Actor, politician, bodybuilder

Schwarzenegger, Arnold.

AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

Most people successfully pursue one or two careers throughout their lives.
By the age of fifty-six, Arnold Schwarzenegger had tackled at least
three—bodybuilding, acting, and politics. It is difficult to break
into any one of these professions, yet Schwarzenegger managed to excel in
each and every one. He earned thirteen world bodybuilding championships,
is considered one of the most influential actors in Hollywood, and, in
2003, without ever running for political office before, he became the
governor of California. If Schwarzenegger had listened to his many critics
along the way, he never would have succeeded. However, with discipline,
determination, and drive, he proved that an Austrian-born immigrant can
achieve the American dream.

The need to succeed

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, the second son of
Gustav and Aurelia Schwarzenegger. He was raised, along with older brother
Meinhard, in the tiny village of Thal, just outside of Graz,
Austria. Schwarzenegger's father, Gustav, was the local police
chief, and the family lived above the police station where Gustav worked.
The Schwarzenegger home was a humble one. In fact, they did not have
indoor plumbing until Arnold was a teenager. This was not uncommon at the
time, however, since families all over Europe were just beginning to
recover from the effects of World War II (1939–45).

Before joining the police force, Gustav Schwarzenegger was a military
officer, and he ran his household in strict military fashion. Both Arnold
and Meinhard were required to get up before sunrise to tend to their
chores. After chores came a rigorous exercise routine, followed by
breakfast. Gustav also instilled a love of sports in his sons. Meinhard,
who died when he was twenty-three years old in a car accident, was a
boxing champion. Arnold showed promise as a soccer player. It was while
performing exercises to strengthen his legs for soccer that Schwarzenegger
turned to the sport that would eventually make him famous: bodybuilding.

Arnold Schwarzenegger pursued weightlifting and bodybuilding with a
passion. He trained for hours a day, both at a local gym and at home where
he set up a training area in a room that had no heat. He also studied
anatomy and nutrition to understand how to become physically fit. His
parents worried that he was obsessed with training, but Schwarzenegger had
his eyes on a goal; that goal was to leave his little village behind and
become a success in America.

"I learned something from all these years of lifting and training
hard.... What I learned was that we are always stronger than we
know."

Mr. Universe

In 1965, after he graduated from high school, Schwarzenegger joined the
Austrian army. Just one month after enlisting, he won his first
bodybuilding title, Mr. Junior Europe. The competition was held in
Germany, and Schwarzenegger had left his army base without permission to
compete. As a result, he spent the next year in the brig, which is a
holding area for people in the military who have committed offenses. After
he was released, Schwarzenegger resumed his training with gusto, often
spending up to five hours a day in the gym.

The Ronald Reagan Comparison

Arnold Schwarzenegger was not the first celebrity to hold public office.
For example, professional wrestler Jesse "The Body"
Ventura (1951–) was governor of Minnesota from 1998 until 2002,
and from 1986 to 1988 actor/director Clint Eastwood (1930–) was
mayor of Carmel, California. The best-known celebrity-turned-politician,
however, may be Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), former governor of
California (1967–1975) and president of the United States
(1981–1989). Throughout his run for governor, Schwarzenegger was
constantly compared to Reagan for some obvious reasons: both were
actors, both were very charismatic speakers, and both were new to
politics when they ran for office. But, are there other similarities?

Age:
Schwarzenegger and Reagan were both fifty-six years old when they
became governor of California.

Nicknames:
Reagan was known as "The Great Communicator" while
Schwarzenegger was dubbed "The Oak" because of his
strength and concentration.

Arnold Schwarzenegger poses with a bronze bust of President
Ronald Reagan.

Mike Guastella/WireImage.com.

Sports:
Both men shared a love of sports and got their start in the world of
athletics. Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder; Reagan played football
and was a swimmer. Reagan also got his first break into show business
as an announcer for football and baseball games in Iowa.

His grueling schedule paid off in 1967, when, at the age of twenty,
Schwarzenegger won his first Mr. Universe title. The Mr. Universe
competition is an annual event sponsored by the National Amateur
Bodybuilders Association (NABBA). Competitors are judged on such things as
size and definition of muscles, balance and proportion of body parts, and
overall presentation. The youngest person to ever
win the competition, Schwarzenegger was confident that he would keep his
title the following year. He was also excited because his dream of
traveling to the United States was about to come true since the 1968 Mr.
Universe competition was to be held in Miami, Florida.

Although he did not win the 1968 title in Miami, Schwarzenegger was
noticed by fitness pioneer Joe Weider (1922–). Weider was so
impressed by the young bodybuilder that he invited him to stay in the
United States and live and train with him in Los Angeles, California.
Schwarzenegger jumped at the chance. Weider became Schwarzenegger's
mentor, and from the late 1960s through the 1970s, Schwarzenegger devoted
himself to training and competing. He reclaimed his Mr. Universe crown in
1969, and went on to dominate every major bodybuilding competition,
including Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and Mr. Olympia.

In addition to being a star bodybuilder, Schwarzenegger helped popularize
the sport. He wrote articles about his unique training methods for
Weider's fitness magazines; he also was featured in a 1977
documentary about bodybuilding competitions, called
Pumping Iron.
The documentary was quite popular and gave Schwarzenegger his first taste
of Hollywood celebrity. In 1980, at the age of thirty-three, he officially
retired from bodybuilding to devote himself to a new career: acting.

Box-office gold

Schwarzenegger made a few low-budget movies in the 1970s, cast mostly in
small roles that required big muscles, not big talent. In 1982 he was
tapped to play the lead in
Conan the Barbarian,
based on the comic-book hero of the same name. Again,
Schwarzenegger's strength was in his biceps, not his acting skills.
Critics panned his performance, claiming that it was nearly impossible to
understand his German-accented English. Audiences, however, loved the
movie, which turned out to be a box-office hit. Two years later, in 1984,
Schwarzenegger cemented his box-office appeal when he appeared in the
movie
The Terminator.

In
The Terminator,
Schwarzenegger played a violent cyborg (part robot, part human) who is
sent from the future to exterminate the
mother of humankind's future leader. He spoke seventy-four words
in the movie, all delivered in a monotone, robotic voice. Audiences did
not mind the lack of acting ability, and they flocked to see
Schwarzenegger in the sci-fi thriller. The movie was so popular that
Schwarzenegger became known for his character's famous one-liner:
"I'll be back," or as Schwarzenegger pronounced it,
"Awl be buck."

Action movies like
The Terminator
proved to be wildly popular with people of all ages, and Schwarzenegger
proved to be the perfect action hero. He followed
The Terminator
with a string of movies, including
Commando
(1985),
Predator
(1987),
Total Recall
(1990), and
True Lies
(1994). He also continued the Terminator movies, starring in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(1991), which produced the famous line, "Hasta la vista,
baby," and
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
(2003). For his role in
Terminator 3,
Schwarzenegger was paid $30 million.

In addition to playing the tough-as-nails hero, Schwarzenegger starred in
a number of comedies, including three movies made by director Ivan Reitman
(1946–):
Twins
(1988),
Kindergarten Cop
(1990), and
Junior
(1994). Moviegoers embraced the "lighter side of Arnold,"
and critics admitted that Schwarzenegger was growing as an actor. Everyone
agreed that he was box-office gold. In fact, in 1993, he was recognized as
the International Box Office Star of the Decade.

By 2004 Schwarzenegger had appeared in nearly thirty movies, and he
brought his unique style to each role. One thing he never lost was his
accent. Comedians and critics made countless jokes about the way
"Ah-nuld" talked, but Schwarzenegger seemed to take it in
stride. He also explained in a 1991 interview with Pat Broeske that he did
not want to get rid of his accent completely because it had become,
Broeske noted, "his trademark, his signature."

The family man

Schwarzenegger's trademark made him a very wealthy actor, and he
used his money wisely, investing in real estate and several businesses,
including the restaurant chain Planet Hollywood. He was also a devoted
family man. Schwarzenegger met his wife, television journalist Maria
Shriver (1955–), in 1977. The couple married in 1986; they

Arnold Schwarzenegger supports Willie McKinney during the bench
press competition of the 1999 Special Olympics World Games.

AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

have four children, two boys and two girls. Shriver was no stranger to
celebrity, considering she is part of one of the most famous families in
the United States. Her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921–), is
the sister of U.S. president John F. Kennedy (1917–1963).

Most people thought that the couple made a very odd pair. He was a brawny
bodybuilder turned actor. She was a "brain" who graduated
from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and was coanchor of
CBS Morning News.
He was a well-known supporter of the Republican Party. The Republican
Party is considered to be the more conservative of the two major political
parties in the United States.
Shriver, as part of the Kennedy clan, was a Democrat to the core. Members
of the Democratic Party are traditionally considered to be more liberal.
Those closest to the couple, however, say they are a perfect match. Both
have competitive drives; both are committed to their family; and both
share a wacky sense of humor.

The Schwarzeneggers also share a commitment to politics and to social
causes. Since 1979 they have been devoted to the Special Olympics, helping
to raise funds and awareness. Established by Eunice Shriver in 1968,
Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and sponsors annual
athletic competitions for children and adults with mental retardation.
There are Special Olympics programs in almost 150 countries; Arnold serves
as the Special Olympics International Weight Training Coach.

In 1990 Schwarzenegger was given an incredible opportunity to spread his
message about the importance of fitness when President George H. W. Bush
(1924–) appointed him chairman of the President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). According to the PCPFS Web site, the
goal of the council is to "promote, encourage and motivate
Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in
sports." Schwarzenegger was the perfect spokesman. With high energy
and unlimited enthusiasm, he traveled across the country spreading the
word that it was "hip to be fit." When Democrat Bill Clinton
(1946–) took over the presidency in 1993, Schwarzenegger resigned
from the council.

The "Collectionator"

Schwarzenegger had been such a dynamic public figure in the Bush
administration that people wondered if he was heading for a future in
politics. Schwarzenegger denied the rumors for years, claiming he was too
busy being a businessman and family man. In 2002, however, he spent a good
deal of time campaigning in California for state grant money to fund
after-school programs for children. And, in 2003, when California governor
Gray Davis (1942–) was threatened by a recall, the buzz was strong
that Schwarzenegger would throw his hat in the ring.

The year 2003 was a strange one in California politics. Democrat Gray
Davis, who had over twenty years of experience in politics, was governor,
and had been since 1998. Throughout his first term in
office, however, Davis faced a number of problems, including an
outof-control budget, a sagging state economy, and electricity blackouts
that left most of the state without power for some time during 2001.
Californians were not happy, and they blamed Davis for the sad state of
affairs. In 2002, just months into his second term of office, citizens
started a campaign to recall Davis as governor. This meant that Davis,
through a special election, would possibly be replaced.

The election led to media frenzy since it was the first time in
California's history that a governor faced a recall. In addition,
people came out of the woodwork to campaign for Davis's job. On
August 6, 2003, Schwarzenegger fueled the frenzy by announcing that he,
too, was going to run for governor. He made his announcement during an
interview on the late-night television program
The Tonight Show.

Schwarzenegger spent the next several months campaigning in rather
untraditional ways. For example, he chatted with Oprah Winfrey
(1954–) on her afternoon talk show, and he was interviewed by disc
jockey Howard Stern (1954–), who is known for his outrageous radio
antics. Schwarzenegger peppered his interviews with references to his
movies, promising to say "Hasta la vista" to new taxes and
calling himself the "Collectionator," since one of his goals
was to ask the federal government for funds to bail California out of its
economic crisis.

Arnold to the rescue

All of the media attention prompted voters to turn out in droves, and on
October 8, 2003, the citizens of California elected Arnold Schwarzenegger
governor with 48.6 percent of the vote. On November 17, during his
swearing-in ceremony, Schwarzenegger commented, "It is no secret
that I'm a newcomer to politics. I realize I was elected on faith
and hope. And I feel a great responsibility not to let the people
down."

The public may have felt they needed an action hero to come to their aid,
but political commentators had their doubts. Schwarzenegger was able to
campaign on catchy phrases, but what would he do once in office? According
to political consultant David Axelrod in a 2003
Time
article, "This isn't the movies. No one is going to throw
him a ray gun so he can blow up the deficit."

Schwarzenegger's first days in office were watched closely. He made
good on several of his campaign promises, including lowering
car taxes. He was also applauded for trying to get California Democrats
and Republicans to work together to help solve the state's budget
problems. Schwarzenegger, however, was just beginning to flex his
political muscles. His state still faced a staggering amount of debt, and
he tried to figure a way out without hurting social programs like
education and health care.

In March 2004, voters passed Schwarzenegger's Proposition 57, which
would allow the state to use bonds (low-interest, long-term loans) to
slash $15 billion from the ever-growing debt. Politicians considered the
proposition to be a daring move, but Schwarzenegger was used to taking
chances, and he had faith that the voters would believe in him. In a rally
held just after the vote, and reported on CNN, he reassured the public
that his borrowing plan would "make California the golden state
that it once was."

Just months into office, people began to speculate once again what was
next for Arnold Schwarzenegger, family man, businessman, actor, and now
governor. When he appeared on the television program
Meet the Press,
in February 2004, host Tim Russert wondered if perhaps Schwarzenegger had
his eye on the White House. Schwarzenegger shooed away the question,
commenting that he had been too busy tackling California's problems
to think about his next move. "I have no idea," he
commented, "I haven't thought about that at all."

But, can we believe him, since that is exactly what Schwarzenegger said
when asked if he would ever run for political office? He faces one big
obstacle, however. According to the U.S. Constitution, only citizens who
were born in the United States are eligible to be president. Although
Schwarzenegger became a citizen in 1983, he was born in Austria. A change,
or amendment, to the constitution has been proposed that would make it
possible for anyone who has been a U.S. citizen for at least twenty years
to seek the presidency. And, as Ah-nuld has proven time and again,
anything is possible.

User Contributions:

Arnold was and still the spiritual father for the bodybuilders around the world. Personally speaking, when I saw his film "Conan" I decided to take up bodybuilding . I'm fond of it especially that I look like him. I wish him more success.

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